2019 In Review: Reserves Women

Following a Premiership win in 2018, our Reserves Women were unable to get the chance to defend their title. With a multitude of contributors, our Sheagles finished 5th and missed out on finals.

Pre-season had a lot of hype about the Reserves Women. As well as being reigning champions, Carla De Luca was appointed the first Womens Head Coach in Marcellin OC history.

Starting out the season our Sheagles were victorious against Old Trinity, however were unable to back it up in Round 2 as they were thumped by West Brunswick. Another loss to St Kevins saw our Sheagles really struggle at the start of the season, however their form was soon to change.

Round 4 saw our Sheagles take out a 1pt victory against St Mary’s Salesian, on the back of a dominant display from Eliza Roughead. They then made quick work of Kew FC the next week and defeated Fitzroy in a Grand Final rematch, which was highlighted by a Julia Melitsis bag of 4 goals.

Round 6 was the beginning of a struggle period for our Reserves Women. They fell to Melbourne University and St Mary’s again, before getting another win against Kew. Each one of these games was decided by 8pts or less, highlighting the resilience of our Sheagles whether that be in defeat or victory. Olivia Zuccala was influential throughout this period, and players such as Madison Taylor and Laura Page played no small part in keeping the team relevant in the Premier Reserves division.

After defeating Kew, our Sheagles began to show the effects that injuries and players travelling had. They lost 4 straight games to Old Trinity, St Kevins, Melbourne University and West Brunswick. This was a tough run home, as 3 out of the 4 teams that the Sheagles faced in this run played finals football. Competitve in each game, our Sheagles never went down without a fight and showed some bright signs. Jennae Wakefield continued to be a strong presence up forward, Eliza Roughead continued her strong form, and Tess Menzies shone throughout this tough period of football.

Although a win in Round 14 against Fitzroy helped end the losing streak, it was not enough to boost the Sheagles percentage. As a result, the Reserves were unsuccessful in defending their title as reigning premiers and missed out on the top 4. Ultimately, injuries and players travelling did hurt the team, however their strength and resilience throughout the period could not be questioned. When at 100% firepower, this team showed it is up there with the best.

We congratulate the Reserves Women on their 2019 campaign, and we anticipate the Sheagles return to dominance in the 2020 season.